


Simmer

by gulpereel



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:41:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8727700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gulpereel/pseuds/gulpereel
Summary: Spoilers for after Leviathan. Gladiolus and Ignis try and deal with the elephant in the room.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I got the point in the game last night and saw this spoiler and I was like 'oh shit' and wrote this before falling asleep last night. It may be a bit weird? IDK, I hope you enjoy and join me on the Gladio/Ignis boat.

"You're eyes," Gladio starts and he's staring, not used to this allowed proximity Ignis is allowing him outside on the balcony of Ignis's room. 

"What about them?" Ignis sounds a little confused, a finger playing with the lid of the Ebony can in his hand. 

"They're blue."

"And?"

"I just-," Gladio pauses, turns around to rest his arms against the balcony edge,"I hadn't noticed before."

"Not to be crude, Gladio, but we've literally had sex. I'm actually a little put off by you not noticing," Ignis returns but there's a teasing jilt to it that Gladiolus easily picks up. 

"It's usually dark when that's happening, cut me some slack. I'm just trying to give a compliment."

"Compliment away then, but you're not the best at poetry," and Ignis places the can to the side on a small table set out with some chairs before moving in closer. He lightly touches Gladio's arm, trying to get the man to face him again. 

"You've ruined the moment now, but," Gladio stops, clearly trying to figure out a way to make his words sound less cliche, "they're pretty. Like the sea, but on a nice day with good weather." 

"Sea but on a nice day and good weather? That's specific," but Ignis is smiling and Gladio perhaps even sees the hints of a small blush creeping onto his ears. 

"Specific but nothing better than that, right?"

Ignis kisses him to stop the compliments he finds hard to take. 

\----

Later, Gladiolus takes one of Ignis's scarfs and makes a makeshift blindfold and he stops as soon as he feels the other tense up. Their both nearly completely naked so it's not hard to see the tension, the flight or fight response raring up in Ignis and it makes Gladio stop his gentle touches in a panic. 

"We don't have to- I just, went with the flo-"

"It's okay," Ignis seems to visibly be taking deep breathes, trying to calm himself down. "It's okay, really, I was just surprised."

"Are you sure? I'll take it off."

"No, leave it. Something like this is good now and then."

Later, when Ignis feels blissfully fucked out, he explains to Gladio that sometimes taking away something makes you appreciate it more when it comes back. 

\----

They're on the road at the start of their journey together with the prince and Prompto and Gladiolus feels lucky to be sharing these sights with Ignis an his friends. 

As they drive into Galdin Quay it's 2pm and the sun is shining down onto the sands and clear, still water and as Prompto goes to take photos and Noctis talks to a cat, Gladio hangs back with Ignis on the dock to the restaurant. 

He lets the ambiance of the beach wash over them for a bit before speaking up, looking towards the island in the distance than at Ignis.

"I was wrong."

"That sounds ominous, care to expand?"

"Remember when I uh, compared your eyes to the sea?"

"Somehow, yes, though that was ages ago and I still can't believe you said that."

"Well, this," Gladio gestures to the sea in front of him, "is the sea on a nice day with good weather."

"You're point?"

"You're eyes are prettier."

Ignis for once is at a loss with words and all he can do in return is run away, his face clearly red, with a muttered statement that he was going to find Noct and that he was going to arrange splitting inn rooms for the evening. 

\----

Some time later, Gladio joins back up with the party with scars all over the place but most notably his face and chest. Ignis, later in the evening, runs his hands over the healed tissue, not asking any questions as he knows Gladio would only tell him when he's ready. 

Instead of questions he just tells the other man that he's glad that he's alright, that Gladio came back but perhaps he should be a little more careful next time. That as strong as Gladio was, he was still just flesh and bone and Ignis couldn't always be around to help patch things up. That Gladiolus had people depending on him and getting himself killed made him no use to anyone.

Gladiolus laughs quietly in return but holds Ignis close as he makes quiet promises into the other mans hair and ear. 

\----

Gladio looks upon the waves and storm Levianthan is creating and he briefly thinks that this is an ocean he hates, a desutrctive one. 

He watches the waves rise up, watches the creature dance upon the waters and he knows he's watching the wrong thing at the wrong time but it's hard to look away from all that blue and powerful force. 

He's separated from Ignis at some point and he trusts the man to handle himself as he continues on his job as best as he can in a living water hellscape. 

\----

Ignis wakes up before Noctis and Gladio sits beside him, hands tightly clenched on his thighs, eyes pointing downward at his shoes. 

The doctor had broke the new to Ignis before he came in and then explained to Gladiolus. He'd expected Ignis to be a little wear and tear after the fight but the news left him in silence, left him angry. 

Ignis's hand reaches out and Gladio takes it but looking at the scars on the other mans face, the closed eyes, his anger doesn't dissipate but grows instead. 

\----

"I should just stay in town," Ignis begins one evening, sitting in one of the mildly uncomfortable chairs in their inn room. Gladio had asked for a separate one for him and Ignis that night, Noctis merely shrugged, too lost in his own thoughts to care for their reasons. 

"We've been over this," Gladio reacts quickly, he's by window but is quick to come over to the other mans side. "We're not leaving you behind."

"I'm a burden."

"You don't really think that."

"I'm not talking about my vision. The guilt is too much for Noctis on top of everything, it'd be better if--"

"You think he's acting like this because he feels guilty over you?" Gladio has gone weirdly quiet and Ignis wishes he could read the mans face. "Ignis, he doesn't even care. He's too wrapped up over Luna."

"That's not--"

"He's putting his own issues before you, again, every time," Gladio is raising his voice a little. 

"He's the king, he's allowed to do that, it's not like I haven't accepted it as my life," Ignis responds back and it's not a lie. It's not exactly a truth he likes to hear but he knows what his role is.

Gladio seems to stop and Ignis hears him move around the room. Hears him head back to the window in silence. 

Ignis can't stand the quiet.

\----

It's a few weeks into their journey and Ignis moves in close to Gladio one night, briefly touches the others crotch and Gladio tenses up. 

"This isn't a good idea," Gladio whispers but he sounds unsure, like he knows what his mind is telling him is different to what he actually wants. 

"Give me five good reasons," Ignis mutters back, leaning into the others warmth, to feel Gladio's breathes to gauge his reactions better. 

"It's just-- the wrong mood," Gladio says but he knows he's making excuses. He knows Ignis can make his own decisions regardless of eyesight, that it's his own insecurities and guilt holding him back. He knows that he's only going to offend Ignis by treating him like glass but it's been hard to jump over the hurdle. 

"You're getting hard, the mood doesn't seem all that bad," Ignis seems to be trying a lighter approach to the subject. "I'm not requesting anything complicated, I just want you to touch me."

"Ignis--"

"It's been weeks, I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm looking worse than I suspected or," Ignis rests his head against the broad chest, feels the large scar under his face, "you're still feeling guilty."

"It's not guilt, I'm angry, Ignis, it's--"

"You don't think I'm not angry? But now isn't the time for it, Gladio."

"When, then?"

"When we fight, let people see your anger then. For now, take a look at what's in front of you better."

"Ignis, i'm sorr--"

"Don't say it, just touch me." 

\----

Gladio sits on the train after his explosion at Noctis and silently thumbs a photo he keeps in his back pocket. The daylight passes through the train window to reflect on the glossy print that he'd requested from Prompto, the photo now a little crumpled and worse for wear but still clear in his image, it's colours. 

Gladio looks upon him and Ignis together at Galdin Quary, the beautiful, still sea on a day with nice weather. 

His anger grows.


End file.
